CBL - Campus del Baix Llobregat

Projecte llegit

Títol: In-Orbit Refilling Technologies and Planned Missions

Estudiants que han llegit aquest projecte:

Director/a: GONZÁLEZ CINCA, RICARD

Departament: FIS

Títol: In-Orbit Refilling Technologies and Planned Missions

Data inici oferta: 31-01-2025     Data finalització oferta: 30-09-2025


Estudis d'assignació del projecte:
    MU AEROSPACE S&T 21
Tipus: Individual
 
Lloc de realització: EETAC
 
Segon director/a (UPC): ABECIA HERNANZ, SARA CECILIA
 
Paraules clau:
Microgravity, in-orbit refilling, acoustic techniques, cryogenic, vacuum chamber, ISS payload
 
Descripció del contingut i pla d'activitats:
Design of a cryogenic setup for propellant management
 
Overview (resum en anglès):
Servicing spacecraft in orbit, including refilling operations, is crucial for extending their lifespan and ensuring the sustainability of future space exploration. However, there are several challenges in managing cryogenic fuel in microgravity such as: propellant boil-off, long settling phases, and difficulty achieving accurate mass gauging. Research in the Space Exploration Lab at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya is centered on acoustic-based approaches to overcome these challenges. The objectives of this work are: first, to conduct a feasibility study of different payload configurations to test the acoustic techniques onboard the International Space Station (ISS); second, to propose an experimental setup to qualify the instrumentation of the acoustic techniques for its use with cryogenic fluids on board the Nyx capsule. Regarding the first objective, a trade-off analysis, based on scientific objectives, ISS safety regulations and the platform's requirements, was conducted in order to select a preferred payload configuration. Then, the payload and interface specifications were defined to demonstrate feasibility of operations on board the ISS. At the end, based on the design of a heritage payload, a three-test-cell configuration was selected as the preferred configuration to fly on board the ISS. This configuration balances the scientific contribution of the acoustic experiments with the technical constraints of the platform. For the second objective, a baseline design specification was created and market research was conducted to compare four different vacuum chamber setups and select the preferred testing chamber. Finally, after evaluating the available options, a vacuum chamber from Pfeiffer was selected as the most suitable for cryogenic qualifications of the acoustic instrumentation to be flown on board the Nyx capsule.

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